Frontier
by Stryker MGS
Summary: God it took me a long time to write this. It's going to be a pretty long story if I can manage to finish it. The UED is defeated, and the Zerg incursions are unchecked. Only few remaining Protoss and Terran forces can offer resistance, but their hopes are
1. It begins, far away from the blood shed

Disclaimer: Hey, you're probably illiterate if you don't already know Blizzard owns everything, so why bother?

I've been probably working on this storyline for over a year now, and I'm still making corrections. There had been a very little progress in actual storyline due to that. Needless to say, I do not think you should expect a quick uploads of chapters. I would do what I can to speed up things since they are now up and published on internet, but as I said, don't expect too much. The initial setting is on Earth, since I need to change the political climate of the planet first. This entire chapter sets on Earth, but we'll be moving back to Koprulu and its own interesting plot on the next chapter, Enjoy!

The outskirts of the City of San Francisco, Sector Golf Charlie-17

-_GWAANG!_

Sergeant Michael O'Bennon was turning the automated turret of the Lancer Main Battle Tank even before the aftershock of the magnetic gun dissipated. The lightly armored MPUV (Multi-Purpose Utility Vehicle) he targeted was reduced to nothing more than few chunks of smoldering metal. The #6 camera captured the image and displayed it automatically in a side screen on the GCS (Gunner's Central Sight) holographic display. It was the logged as 34th kill on the computer. The low-leveled unmanned turret swept left and right, searching for a new target to kill. The small humming of the motor, however, was quickly overtaken when the 40mm HALOS autogrenade launcher suddenly swiveled to the right and began firing at an incoming anti-tank missile.

-Hamms, turn right!

The heavy tank turned sharply to the commander's order, and the driver also punched gas to accelerate the metallic bulk forward. The missile veered slightly to the left as it tracked in on the moving target, but that gave a slightly larger target aspect for the HALOS intercept system. The sensors tracked in on the missile via radar and heat sensors and calculated the firing solution. The gun locked on and the intercept system began rapidly firing 40mm airburst grenades. One of the shells exploded nearby the seeker, the fragments and ball-bearings slicing into the cylindrical missile body. The fragment damaged the guidance control computer and the missile soon lost its flight control capability. It twisted wildly in the air for several moments before veering off and slamming into the ground.

Michael targeted the general vicinity where the missile was launched from and peppered it with coaxial machinegun fire. The HALOS gun also responded and joined in on the suppression fire. Buildings and wreckages of vehicles were riddled with bullets, but Mike saw no signs that anyone had died from his or the computer's weapon.

-Foxtrot, Charlie 3, requesting immediate support! Target, India-Foxtrot-Victor at Hotel Bravo 3 building entrance!

With sounds of fierce gun fighting in the background, the infantry platoon designated Charlie 3 requested for the firepower of the tank. His voice told the tankers how dire the situation was for his platoon.

-Foxtrot Leader Copy. Mike! 3 O'clock, target IFV, Dumble shot.

"Roger commander."

Following the vehicle commander's order, Michael pressed a button to load the M-67 'Dumble' APUEM (Armor Piercing Utility Explosive Munitions) shot specifically designed to kill light-armored or 'soft' targets. As the commander turned the turret toward the building, he switched the fire-control mode from automatic to manual. In a precision shot, manual was far more reliable than the computer generated automatic.

The large building, designated Hotel Bravo 3 was actually an apartment complex. It looked over the two main roadways that led all the way into the heart of San Francisco, and the enemy had chosen it as the central defense point of the Echo line. The Charlie Company and a platoon of tanks were deployed to take it. Charlie 3 was the platoon tasked with frontal assault, but they were pinned down by heavy enemy fire.

The enemy had set up heavy machineguns and rocket firing positions on the various levels of the building, but at the center of the firepower stood a Wolverine Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Its autocannon and EM gun were wrecking havoc with the infantry, but Charlie 3 lacked the kind of weapons to engage the carefully concealed vehicle.

Looking through the powerful gunner's sight system, he spotted the target just behind a semi-collapsed wall. The vehicle had poked just its small turret through the hole made in the wall by some sort of explosive. The rest of it was concealed behind the thick concrete walls. It was no wonder that the infantry could not hit the vehicle effectively. They did not have anything that would punch through the concrete and still retain a significant power to penetrate the IFV's armor.

After considering the target briefly, he placed the crosshair of the targeting system just below the low-level turret. When he pressed the button in his right handle, the computer locked on to the designated spot, recording the target aspect just in case any changes occurred to it and had to adjust the aim automatically. This allowed him to relax his grip on the targeting handle.

On his screen, the targeting computer displayed the atmospheric conditions gathered by the sensors outside. Wind direction/speed, movement of the tank itself, water vapor, chemical compositions of the air, as well as ground vibration were all considered, and the computer automatically lowered the azimuth of the gun ever so slightly.

-Fire!

Michael pressed the trigger immediately upon command. The powerful 140mm electromagnetic cannon accelerated the shot at once, spitting it out with kinetic energy of over 40MJ. The targeted IFV detected the presence of a tank through the laser warning system, but the shell was much faster than the vehicle. The Dumble shell penetrated the thick wall of the building first, then made contact with the IFV. The light armor of the vehicle immediately gave in, and upon penetration, the tank shell fell apart and revealed the powerful explosive block inside. The explosive made contact with the interior hull of the vehicle, and the fuse set it off, causing the entire vehicle to erupt into a huge fireball.

-Foxtrot Leader, confirm target kill.

To understand the cause of this violent conflict on Earth, a certain finding several month ago must be addressed beforehand.

During a routine deep space mission along the border, a long-range reconnaissance ship UFS Ulysses and a research vessel UFS Argonaut came across an abandoned science research vessel UFS Hakanami. Hakanami was part of the 385th Squadron of 17th Pallas Fleet. The 17th Pallas Fleet was the picket force of the UED Expeditionary Force.

Upon analysis of the onboard computer of the vessel, they realized that the UED Expeditionary Fleet has been defeated and pushed out of the Korpulu sector by the Zergs. Not only that, only 10 % of the combat power of the fleet remained after the last battle, 30% for the ground troops, but they had lost most of their heavy fighting equipments and were low on supplies. The Ulysses transmitted a report containing the ship's records, as well as their own analysis that UED had been decimated by the Zerg and the expedition had failed.

However, the political situation of Earth was not prepared to handle such situation. A powerful political group known as the SECT, which possess control over the Earth Central Committee, was busy trying to put down the revolts that were occurring on various places on Earth. These rebellion groups opposed the totalitarian rule of SECT and fought them on various levels. That included militias on space colonies, space pirates and terrorism against political targets. Of course, there was also the matter of rivalry between SECT chairperson themselves. There were 18 seats on the SECT parliament, and they were equally divided into two groups which sought for more power over the other.

Hung up with tightening their control over the government and competing with one another, they decided to ignore and hide the report from the public. The greedy old man were only interested in power, nothing more. The fact that thousands of men had perished in the deep space because of their decision never even registered in their minds.

But the SECT wasn't the only group who was knowledgeable of the Expeditionary Force's demise. The high ranking officials of the armed force branches also came to know the fate of DuGulle's fleet. Enraged by the inaction of the SECT, they voiced their protest, demanding immediate action. Many whom did, however, were arrested immediately by the State Security, the ruthless paramilitary group under the SECT. When many of these military leaders were jailed or even shot, the Joint Military Head Quarters finally drew the line. 72 hours after its leaders were arrested, the armed force branches of Army, Marine, Air Force, and Navy began a coordinated military actions targeted to extract the SECT from power.

Their first mission was to remove State Security personals from interfering. Utilizing special force operatives, the military assassinated much of the spy personals loyal to the SECT and launched all-out assault against those who supported the regime. The components of the land forces assaulted and captured many supporters of the SECT. They also began the pursuit of the SECT chairperson themselves, all the while combating the military faction who had sided with the SECT and the State Security. The Navy, on the other hand, had blockaded Earth of all interplanetary travels, with the Air Force supporting them both in space and in the atmosphere. All blockade runners were pursued and either captured and imprisoned, or shot down. Certain detachments of the Navy and Marine were deployed to outer-space in order to secure major colonies from interfering.

The land battle went in the favor of the Army and Marines. Army's 22nd Brigade clashed with and decimated the State Security 3rd Division near the city of Hukouka on the second day, and Marine 1st Division surrounded and forced the 2 divisions of the enemy to surrender in the Kola peninsula soon thereafter. They broke much of the resistance of State Security military under a week, and cornered the SECT members in the City of San Francisco. The city of San Francisco was now under siege.

Outskirts of the City of San Francisco, Sector November Mike-4

"Starfire, this is India-7! We require an immediate artillery support!"

-India-7, artillery support is not available. A flight of fighter-bomber has been rerouted to your sector. They will be arriving under 10 minutes.

"God damn it! We'll all be DEAD in 10minutes Starfire! Do you read me? We do not HAVE 10 FUCKING MINUTES!"

-The enemy has launched all-out counteroffensive along all fronts. All heavy guns are occupied with other missions. Keep your fucking head down and stay alive.

"Shit!"

The lieutenant killed the connection with the battalion command and peeked over the smoldering rubbles to see across the street. The enemy resistance was composed of 2 heavily armed squad of infantry, 1 armored reconnaissance vehicle, and 2 two-leg combat walker robot in support. He had a single IFV and 2 heavily armed high-mobility directional fire-support vehicle along with his platoon, but the enemy forces were fighting under cover, and his direct suppressive fire hadn't hurt them wit. After a squad from his command ran into an ambush while attempting to round the foe from the left, they had been fighting across this damned street for the last 2 hours.

He raised his own MU-081C assault rifle, and gripped the trigger for the MU-083A 40mm grenade gun. The old Gauss rifles had been heavy and clumsy tools of war. The high muzzle-velocity from the long barrel was nice, but the faulty firing mechanism shook up the ballistic trajectory of the bullet too much, thus making them inaccurate. When shooting, the soldiers had to rely more on the firing rate of the gun, rather than accuracy. The only reason they were produced for such long period of time were their efficiency in stopping large number of targets and the low price, and such reason didn't do much to give a soldier a lot of confidence in his marksmanship.

Not liking such bureaucratic view on a weapon of war, the MU-081-series rifle had been developed under Army's heavy supervision. The MU-081 reduced 30% in size, over 50% in mass, but state-of-art design had increased accuracy and penetration power by 40%, 20% respectively as compared to the Gauss rifle. Also, with ability to attach various accessory items such as the MU-083 grenade launcher without needing much modification, the MU-081 was far more flexible in their uses. They have rapidly replaced the Gauss rifles as the military's primary assault rifle soon after their introduction.

When he pulled the trigger, the grenade barrel was suddenly charged with a strong magnetic force, and propelled the 40mm explosive far across the wide street. Even before he had the chance to observe the result of his attack, the lieutenant ducked and began moving toward another cover. Just as he crawled into his new protection, a piece of rotary aircraft in fact, the spot that was previously his hiding exploded. It could only have been one of the large-bore direct fire weapon the enemy seemed to possess. He saw the infantry fighting vehicle firing off cannon shots in retort, but they didn't seem to get much luck either.

Bring the rifle back up, he fired a dozen rounds in the general area where the enemies were hiding. When the darkness on the other side lit up with sparks of rifle fire, he ducked back into the ground.

Outskirts of the City of San Francisco, Field Command Center

-Task Force 1-38 Bravo has broken through enemy infantry brigade defensive line. 7 tanks inoperable. They are moving along the Delta line toward Alpha Charlie 7.

-133rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade has repulsed the 98th Regiment's counterattack. They are pursuing the enemy formation.

-285th Independent Infantry Regiment has engaged with unidentified enemy formation. Size, strength unknown.

-Marine 4th has broken through! OMG (Operation Maneuver Group: Soviet battle concept) is moving to exploit the breakthrough!

-Redirecting Badger Hunter 3 flight to the breakthrough. Enemy mechanized brigade is moving along the Yankee 8 axis in disarray.

This was the combat information center of the combined Army/Marine forces currently engaged in the Battle of San Francisco. All of reports from the field were being directed here, where the team of computers and expert operators were organizing the assault against the SECT forces. Most of the information reported victory against their enemies, and the mood was light in the complex despite all the confusion that came with war.

In midst of all the chaos, however, stood two middle-aged man. They were the only two who didn't appear to be swept up by the disarray of the situation. One was a Caucasian male with graying hair and light-brown uniform. His shoulder pad held 4 golden stars. The other one, however, was an Asian man. He wore a stiff uniform of dark blue, white and red. His shoulder pad also held 4 stars. The Caucasian male spoke quietly to his companion. 

"Anytime now I should think."

His companion shifted his face and looked at him questioningly.

"Not getting nervous now are you Ryan?"

"Not the best of times to be relaxed either Lee."

The two generals in the combat center were the Supreme Commander of Army and Marine. The Caucasian man was General Ryan Sheffield of the Army, and the Oriental man was General Han Soo Lee of Marine. They were the core members of this coup to overthrow and arrest the members of the SECT. They were also close friends ever since they met each other as opponents during the annual Marine-Army field exercises NICEOP as commanding officers of each other's cavalry force.

-Flash Traffic! 12th Division reports engagement with numerous tanks! The divisional commander is dead, and his deputy has taken over. He reports massive artillery fire and air defense firepower is supporting the large formation of armored forces!

Major General Sheffield turned sharply. It was the moment he had been waiting for. The time to drew his final card and finish his needless war once and for all.

"The 2nd Guard Armored Division."

Lee commented curtly and walked up to the digital screen that mapped the battlefield. The SS 2nd Guard Armored Division, composed of over 300 Lancer Mk2 Main Battle Tanks, a brigade of artillery and 2 air defense battalions. They were the core of State Security military forces. In order to achieve victory, this last card of the SECT must be crushed first.

"Proceed as planned."

At Sheffield's command, the Marine and Army counterattack was initiated.

-21st Mechanized Infantry Division, 2nd Marine Brigade is maneuvering.

Along Highway-16, 12th Division

Battered and beaten, but the Army 12th Division was not broken yet. Designated as a Light Motorized Infantry division (LMI), the 12th Division had 2 brigade of light infantry, 1 brigade of mechanized infantry and supporting tanks. The lead tank brigade of 2nd Guard Armor had smashed the mechanized brigade within 10 minutes of decisive engagement, but the remaining two brigades fought a defensive battle, fighting hard, but retreating when possible. Casualty rates were extremely high, with even the divisional commander killed by an artillery barrage.

But the onslaught did not continue for long. The 21st Mech suddenly appeared on the field and charged toward the pursuing forces. With its right flank threatened, the 2nd Guard was forced to break off its pursuit in order to counter this new threat.

Two tank battalions plus the cavalry battalion deployed to counter the Army division. Both side's artilleries held fire in fear of each other's counter-battery force. It was the purest form of armored combat one could hope for, where nothing else mattered other than the opponent's tanks. The initial engagement began at the range of 3km, when the monster 140mm EM guns of the Lancer MBTs could effectively attack another tank.

The 72nd Armored Brigade maneuvered in front of the 2nd Guard's advance. The elite 22nd Royal Lancer Regiment formed up the center as 2 tank battalions deployed left and right. An old, yet still one of most effective maneuver of the armored forces, called the _Pincer Clause_, was unfolding.

Of course, as the SS's most elite armored division, they were fully aware of the effectiveness of the _Pincer Clause_. To counter the maneuver from engulfing them, they moved the cavalry battalion to the left and moved the two tank battalions to attack the right wing of the Army formation. The cavalry battalion was left behind to tie down the others, while the bulk of the force bore down on the numerically inferior right wing.

The 72nd brigade did attempt to compensate by applying pressure to the enemy with the 22nd Regiment. However, the enemy remained unresponsive and had to pull back for the fear of shattering the formation. The lone tank battalion of 21st continued to fight a losing battle to hold the line.

"General, the flank cavalry force reports an enemy counterattack. They appear to the remnants of the enemy 12th Division."

"Idiots."

The commanding officer of the 2nd Guard Armor commented with a sneer before putting out his cigar.

"Have the reserve tank battalion engage and smash those fools. They should have ran when they had the chance to."

The Army's attempt to shake his flank would end in a bloody failure. He still had 3 more tank battalions along with an infantry brigade to pound his foe into submission once he located the mainstay of this counterattack. His division held more tanks and more firepower than the Army counterpart - the SECT and the SS had seen to that - and could overwhelm any of them in a decisive engagement. After he defeated the Army blockade, he would hit the Army 7th Corp and rescue the remnants of the SS 18th and 23rd Divisions. He could then drive along the coast, cutting off the Army and Marine supply lines and choking up their flank. This war may be won after all......

"ALERT MESSAGE!"

His thought of victory was broken as an operative from the communications center jumped in with a sheet of paper in his hands. His morbid look told the general that it was a serious news.

"General, the contact southwest is supported by large column of tanks and vehicles! The cavalry force was being overwhelmed when it was cut off the air."

"Our flank!"

The Deputy Commander shouted in alarm. The tank battalion had not been organized yet, and much of the supporting units were in the general vicinity of the incursion. Without them, the fighting units would no longer be able to function as weapons of war.

"Redirect the two other tank battalions immediately! Stop that incursion at all cost!"

The 2 battered brigades of 12th Division was making the attack with the help of 2 Marine tank battalions. The tanks simply blasted the rearguard and rolled over fragmented resistances as the infantry followed and widened the gap. The infantry battalion of the Marines, all the while, was busy settling in north of the attacking forces to defend against a counterattack. Their position looked over the main roadways that connected elements of the 2nd Guard Armor, and they had artilleries to make the enemy pay very heavy tolls if they wanted to pass through the roads under their watch.

The tank battalion of the 2nd Armor was caught unprepared, and paid dearly for their mistake. Only after several gun fire exchanges, the tank battalion of SS was shattered and subdued. As the surviving tanks activated jammers and smoke grenades in an attempt to escape, a brigade of 12th Division flanked and secured the retreat path of the remaining tanks. Confronted with overwhelming number of tanks advancing and infantry forces who were itching for some revenge, the senior Alpha Company commander knew that only massacre could result. He stopped his track and lowered his main gun in a sign of surrender. He ordered for all tanks to do the same and dismount their vehicle.

As a platoon of infantry dashed forward to round up the surrendering tank crews, the Marine brigade and 12th Division continued their drive deeper into the 2nd Armor defenses. From the intelligence report, they were aware that two additional tank battalions were advancing, but after the success of their first engagement, the men couldn't be discouraged from entering into the fray. The officers, however, knew better than to let an easy victory boost their ego and strictly forbad the vehicles from entering too deep into the combat. It wasn't their mission after all. Their job was to rattle, and prepare the table. Execution was someone else's show.

80th Brigade (21st Mech) Command Center

The brigadier general looked up from the true-color display map and rubbed his tired eyes. Hours of planning and simulated exercises were fruiting now before his very own eyes, and he would be the one responsible for tipping it all over to climax. He was to deliver the final strike.

"Status of the task forces?"

His deputy had a notepad with the reports.

"Alpha, Bravo, Charlie TF are all active and in position general. We're ready to kick some ass."

The general smiled at that.

Looking down, he stared at the digital map once again. All three forces under his command were lighted blue, the enemy force red, and the primary target had a double red rings around it. Without taking his eyes off the display, he spoke to his deputy.

"Execute Maneuver Omega, drive the stake through the heart of the beast."

On command, the three task forces surged forward with vigor. Each had been composed primarily of 2 companies of mechanized infantry and 1 company of tanks. Supported by the brigade's artillery battalion, they advanced with speed, eliminating a company of infantry within minutes of heavy engagement. The three Task Force's direction of advance made them converge on one spot: the 2nd Guard's command center.

On the larger scale the 2nd Guard Armored Division was facing an attack from three different directions. To the east they faced off with an armored brigade and a regiment of troops, to the southwest stood combined forces of the Marine brigade and the Army 12th Division, engaged with two tank battalions. And now, to the north, the SS division faced a brigade of mechanized infantry penetrating on three axis. With majority of the units already entangled in an unwavering battle, they could only put up inadequate defenses in the third direction.

Rapid elimination was the key. Only a decisive attack against the heart of a fighting division would cripple a mobile unit such as the 2nd Guard Armor. The speed of which the 3 Task Forces moved was amazing even after accounting for the low-level of resistance. Finally, the artillery brigade, which had withheld from firing, zeroed in on the dangerous penetration and unleashed their firepower. Attacked by a combination of high-explosive shells and anti-armor bomblets, the central Bravo Task Force was hit especially hard. Half of the command dissolved within minutes of concentrated fire. However, even before the artilleries had a chance to switch over to a different target, two artillery brigades tasked with counter-battery mission unloaded on them, taking out three battalions of the heavy guns instantly along with their crews.

"Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!"

The tank commander nearly spat out the profanities as the remaining tanks engaged with the divisional guard battalion. Nine tanks remained out of original 14, protected by the thick armor and automated defense systems. At least they had faired better than the infantry, with just 12 functioning vehicles remaining from 28. The Bravo Task Force had suffered heavily, but because of their position, they had made the first contact with the last obstacle that stood in the way of their objective.

"Designating!"

The commander centered the targeting crosshair on the opposing tank. Two screens of CDDS was tasked with showing visual data while one was spared to display the tactical data from all of the friendly vehicles. The gunner elevated the crosshair slightly and locked on.

-Target!

"Shoot!"

-_GWAAANG!_

The 140mm gun fired off another projectile as the tank swerved left. The auto grenade launcher fired off several jammers and smokes to obscure the battlefield. The enemy tanks also hid behind a wall of smoke as each sides maneuvered closer. This was going to be a knife fight.

Activating the all-bearing watch system, he designated the left CDDS to split screen and display visual data from the 6 different cameras mounted on the tank. The system would identify and track programmed targets and display a warning if a hostile appears anywhere within the search parameters of the computers. With the sensor systems nearly useless because of the thick smoke and jammers, such device was useful in close-quarter combat.

-Shit!

The tank turned violently to the right, kicking up a cloud of soil into the air. An enemy tank was firing at something merely 50m away. The blue-green electromagnetic shock field was visible for a fraction of a second through the smokes.

"Designate!"

The turret overhead turned slightly to match the bearing of the CPS crosshair. The gunner simply locked on without making any adjustments. The system remained completely passive, meaning no radar or laser sensors to aid in fire-control, so his tank was unobserved.

-Target!"

"Shoot!"

The massive main gun roared once more. The projectile made contact with the side of the armored vehicle and instantly penetrated into the hull. The tank shuddered from the shock, but began turning its own turret toward his vehicle. Apparently his own shot had penetrated on a non-vital spot. The Lancer tanks were extremely heavily armored, but the internal compartments were also designed to minimize damage even after penetration. It was a mother of a work to kill one.

-_WAANG!_

The tank shook roughly as something heavy impacted overhead. Realizing he wasn't dead yet, the commander stole a glance at the vehicle status screen. The shot had apparently grazed the top of the turret, reflected by the angled armor. Number 4 camera was gone along with the 40mm HALOS autogrenade launcher, but otherwise the tank was undamaged.

"We're not dead yet! Gunner, make goddamn sure that this one counts!"

-Aye commander!

His voice sounded somewhat rattled, he thought with annoyance. The crosshair began moving once again. It settled just below the low-level turret few seconds later and locked on. Without waiting for a confirmation, he screamed.

"Shoot!"

The shot lanced out once again, and penetrated the armor. Fraction of a second later, his CDDS screen captured the images of the fiery explosion.

"Kill!"

-Archer 1, Archer 5 is hit! He's just fucking gone!

Even before the exhilaration of a kill began to settle, a shrilled cry of another tanker pierced his ears. When he finally looked at the right CDDS screen, he was horrified to see that only 3 other tanks under his command were still moving. A tank company had turned into a platoon under scarcely 5 minutes. He could not believe it.

"Archers, pull back! Pull out of the smoke!"

Even as he ordered the remaining tanks to retreat, Archer 10's blip turned from green to yellow and stopped moving. He now had only 3 tanks left including his own.

With the reverse gear in full, the tanks pulled out of the field of smoke. After a brief radio communications with the mechanized infantry forces, he realized only 8 had escaped the fray after colliding with another tank company head-on. The Bravo force was now reduced to 11 vehicles, a size and strength of a cavalry company. The situation was hopeless.

Nine tanks pulled out of the smoke after them. After sighting the retreating vehicles they floored and charged like an unstoppable beast from the medieval tales. Those nine tanks are almost immediately followed by another company of tanks and a company of mechanized infantry vehicles which also emerging from the wall of smokes. Outgunned and outmanned, the Bravo Task force faced massacre. The lead tanks began firing.

Or at least appeared to.

The magnetic fields appeared on the enemy tanks, not at the tip of their gun barrels but on their hulls or turrets. All nine vehicles were engulfed in the transparent blue flame and exploded in a fury.

A piercing voice rang their baffled ears.

-Charge~!

A new company of tanks suddenly appeared from behind a small mound and charged down the slope with force. That tank company was flanked by two companies of mechanized infantry vehicles who stopped to deploy the infantry. A similar size of vehicles also emerged from the opposite direction and formed another wall of defenses. The enemy forces were shaken by the loss of an entire tank company in matter of seconds, but were even more so petrified when they realized they were completely enveloped. The mechanized infantry, supported by the IFVs had formed a solid barrier of defenses on two areas. They were equipped with anti-tank rockets and missiles that could damage, or even take out Lancer tanks. Two companies of tanks waited by the two openings in the defenses, ready to counterattack any advances they might make. In short, if the Guard Battalion attempted to escape on any directions, first they would be slowed by the enemy defense, and be attack from all directions. 

But the pride of the commanding officer wouldn't allow him to surrender. The SS Armor was one of the most elite forces the Earth Army had. The 2nd Guard Armor was among the best, and the Guard Battalion was specially selected to protect the field command center at all costs. 

Seemingly without pause, without any kind of _thinking_ at all, all of the remaining vehicles began their charge. Infantry missiles and rockets reached out, soon followed by EM shells from the tanks. The shells impacted their targets, and the cloud of missiles bore down on their targets. A gray mist of destruction masked the scene from naked eyes.

Center of San Francisco, Underground, Sector Bravo Alpha-15

"INTRUDERS!"

The rifle came up and spat out 3 5.7mm high-velocity projectiles. The guard who had shouted warning took all three rounds to his head which promptly vaporized under the force of the bullets. The body crumbled and fell over the railing, landing with a sickening crunch on the floor of the base level.

Lt. Yoomaru Mazaki, commander of the Echo Company of the Urban Operations Battalion (35th Special Operations Brigade), lowered her MSG-97 submachine gun and motioned for the rest of her team to continue. She coldly stepped over the body with a missing head and continued to keep a sharp eye for any sign of danger.

"That was the SS Honor Guard Lt." A soldier dressed in an urban gray uniform informed her, stilling checking the body. "Their unit patch has a golden rim to it instead of usual silver. I think this might be it."

"Let's hope you're right. We've only got 2 more hours until the deadline."

Lt. Yoomaru checked the rounds in the MSG-97 rifle. The top-loading magazine held some 100 ammunitions, and she'd only expanded 7 during her trek through the city crawling with SS soldiers. The entire Urban Operations Battalion had been deployed to this sector. Their objective: the State Security field command center.

-X-Ray Hotel, Point Charlie 7 secured. 5 Tangos down, no casualty.

The Bravo Company, led by Lt. Xanders Hawking squawked through the radio channel to report his progress through the building.

"X-Ray Hotel, Yankee Mike, did they get a warning out before you took them out?

In accordance to the brigade's tradition, each team was coded according to the initials of the team leader's names in field missions. Mazaki's initial was Y.M., so using radio call-signs, her team was coded Yankee Mike team. If two team leaders had same initials in the same battalion, they were numbered by seniority.

-Negative, we took out their communications first before storming the rest. They are still unaware of our presence.

-This is Zulu India, I concur. We have not yet encountered any signs of an organized defense. They are still sticking to their defense positions without attempting to compensate for the penetration. They are not aware.

Mazaki's brain calculated the situation for a bit. It was the closest thing she'd seen since the team was deployed into the city nearly 12 hours ago. The deadline before the entire battalion had to be extracted was just few hours away, and she knew they wouldn't find another target if they passed this opportunity by.

"All right, all right. All teams listen in. We're hitting Fox-2 now with full force. We've got only enough time to hit one target until the extraction, so let's hope this is it. Lima Papa, form up on my team. We're the assault force. Zulu India, take penetration and support fire. X-Ray Hotel, cut off any and all enemy reinforcements at the main corridor. Let's move it!"

There were no additional encounters with the enemy, and all teams positioned themselves into proper places quickly. The 11-men team from Lima Papa was waiting for Lt. Mazaki - much to her annoyance - near the main entrance to the suspected command site Fox-2. Lieutenant Leon Popov was just 2 months junior of Mazaki, and knew the special operations business pretty well. His expertise was frontal-assault, and she had grudgingly admitted - to herself only - that he was the best assault leader in the battalion, if not the brigade. She knew she had to swallow her pride for the sake of this mission.

"Popov..... take the front. I'll bring up the rear."

If he was surprised by her decision, he hid it very well. Wordlessly, he led his team forward. Team Zulu India was finishing the set up with explosives, and X-Ray Hotel reported that they were in position.

"All teams standby."

Popov spoke into the tactical radio network. His assault team was divided into 2 main segments composed of 4 members each, while Mazaki's team was broken into 4 teams of 2 in supportive formation. The explosive expert of Zulu India placed his hand on the control switch. All they needed was one word. Other members also tensed up, mentally and physically preparing themselves for the combat. Popov himself looked unmoved, but Mazaki could swore that she saw his left hand twitch.

"All teams, EXECUTE NOW!"

With the word, 4 explosive placed on separate sections of the blast door was set off, and the soldiers sprang into action.

The door was horribly twisted from the force of the explosions, Popov and the first segment of his team entered through the opening with lightening speed, closely followed by the heavy weapon crew of Zulu India, and the second wave of assault force. Sounds of rifle fire shot out, soon followed by dozens of others. The first shots were that of MSG-97 from the sounds of it, but overwhelming number of MU-81C shots quickly overtook it.

Mazaki entered into the fray with her thermal sight on. A stray bullet from the opposition struck her shoulder, but the finely composed nano-tech armor absorbed the impact, and deflected the shot away. The PGS-2, Special Energy Absorbent Protection Suit or SEAPS, gave near invincibility against any sorts of small-arms fire even at point-blank range, and withstood against anti-tank rockets. Only the firepower and armor of the Mobile Infantry, or other mechanized vehicles had the chance of actually engaging and killing the person wearing the SEAPS. In close-quarter combat such as this, they were unmatched by any. Mazaki rolled clear of the path of the shot, aimed and fired, striking the gunner who had fired upon her.

The smokes were obscuring the room completely now, and she had to watch closely at who she was shooting at. Another figure stood in her path, firing a rifle wildly at something. The computer immediately sent IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) signals at it, and came up blank. It wasn't friendly.

A controlled burst of suppressed fire, and the figure went down, hard. The MGS-97 had the nickname of Whispering Death. The troops called it that way because the silencing of the gun only provided a mere whisper of sound when they fired. The lightness of the rifle from the use of composite materials, the balance of the weapon itself using several months of computer programming, and down to the high-quality synthetic polymer handle which provided the user with a firm, yet soft grip. No money had been spared to make this weapon less than perfect.

A heat signature entered her vision. The IFF scan again came up blank and she quickly took aim. _Strange,_ she thought, _the man isn't armed._ But even as the peculiarity of the situation began to resister, her own fingers were depressing on the trigger. _Goodnight Gracie_. A burst of 5.7mms left the heated barrel.

Outskirts of the City of San Francisco, Field Command Center

-Target eliminated.

"Just about over."

"Yes."

The two Supreme Commanders of the ground forces spoke briefly as the reports from the special operations team came in. Indeed, the combat was bogging down. The State Security and few of the Army troops who had sided with the SECT were now collapsing faster than a sandcastle in path of a tsunami. 16th Corp of SECT had been eliminated in the first day they laid siege to San Francisco. 4th, 10th, 18th, and 23rd Division of SS had also been destroyed, and the last 2nd Guard Division was flanked and destroyed merely few hours ago.

Already, the Marine 5th Brigade, along with remnants of their 3rd Division, had entered the outskirts of the city, having broken through the heavy defenses of the outlaying forces. Reinforcements were flooding into the breakthrough the Marines had achieve with their blood. The special force teams were also wrecking havoc inside the city, striking valuable targets and distracting enemy forces from being committed to the battlefront.

With the Urban Operations Battalion's success at striking the last high-valued members of the SECT and the State Security, the defending troops were confused, and uncoordinated. Victory was only moments away.

"The loss is far higher than expected." Sheffield spoke, his eyes grazing over the paper with combat losses the Army had suffered during this short, but bloody conflict. "The 4th and 6th Corps is beyond repair. They've lost over 70% of the combat units, as well as the Corps commander himself! Not to mention the Capital Corps and the 16th Corps. I only have 40 untouched Divisions under my command, and about half of them are fresh. Their training and equipments are under par. My best units were committed here." _And mainly died here._

"The Marines are not in any better condition. Out of 16 available divisions, half were committed here. 4 divisions have lost combat effectiveness, and the other 4 are still committed to the front. Reconstruction will take some months, if not years."

General Lee shook his head as well and took a deep breath. The combat losses for the Marine Corps were far higher as compared to the Army, not because they were any less capable, but because Marines had the tendency to lead the attack wave with the forward assault training they've received.

With a shake of his head, Sheffield spoke quietly to his friend. "The expedition will have to wait Lee."

"When we go, we go with everything we can possibly carry. Only overwhelming superiority can guarantee a certain victory."

General Lee agreed with his friend as he remembered DuGull's task force. For his expeditionary force, DuGull was given Navy's 18th Task Force, 20th Task Force, 4th, 9th Air Force Command, 2 heavy Army Corps and 5 heavy Marine Divisions. A small detachment as compared to Earth's entire military might. The Parliament, as well as the top military leaders, had all thought this would be enough. But that task force had been beaten and annihilated by the monsters of Koprulu.

Shoving that thought aside, Lee thought about the size of the task force he and Sheffield was planning. Army/Marine ground component of 18 Corps, nearly 100 divisions and brigades, 40 Air Force Commands, and fleet of 25 Navy Task Forces. It was several times the size of the last expeditionary force from sheer numbers, not to mention the huge increase in capability of the equipments from the first new equipment cycle in over 70 years. He smiled slightly at the images of mindless monsters of the Zergs being crushed under the combat boots of the Earth soldiers. Very soon, the Koprulu sector would soon face the full wrath of the Earth. Very soon indeed.....

****

Type4 Lancer MBT:

Introduction/History

The Lancer is the most advanced tank design the Earth has developed in over a centaury. Its precedent, the Type2 Arclite Multi-Purpose Gun, had been a huge disappointment for the military leaders and field troops alike. Its twin 88mm guns had been underpowered and inaccurate due to the faulty designing of the breech and the barrel. It was even joked among the troops that using the DKSV-5 heavy machinegun mounted on the turret was far more effective than the two DM4C2 88mm guns. The DM2A1 120mm ballistic gun had been powerful, but with basically no penetration capability and slow rate of fire, was considered ineffective in rapid modern combat arena. Not only that, because of the strains to the chassis by adding the 120mm gun, the Arclite had top-speed of only 36km/h, barely enough to merely keep up with the march speed of the Mobile Infantry. To top it off, the armor of the vehicle was thin enough to be penetrated by infantry rifles on certain spots.

The Type4 Lancer tanks were meant to change that. After observing the Zerg threat, the Army and Marine saw the need to revert back to the art of maneuver combat, instead of relying on firepower and computers as they had been for the last two centauries. From the studies, they realized that Zerg forces almost always outmaneuvered their foe, and overwhelmed both the colonial defenses and even the mystic Protoss forces well before the firepower of the defensive could organize and concentrate on the offensive. To counter that battle strategy, the Army and Marine needed to outmaneuver the Zergs and use mobility to _their_ maximum advantage, not the Zergs. At the core of this newly reborn mobile strategy stood the Lancer MBT.

Weapon

Born with the concepts of balance of firepower and speed as its top-priority, the Lancer MBT was in fact slightly smaller and lighter than the older Type2 Arclite. The Arclite system weighs 65.7 ton, while the Lancer has 56.5 combat weight. It also carried only a single DM5EX 140mm High-Energy gun as its main weapon. However, the single DM5EX was far more effective than the three guns Type2 carried. The gun's magnetically lined barrel was designed to launch EM shells, as well as other conventional ammunitions. The shells could accelerate as fast as Mach 21 during their brief flight, and coupled with the high-energy capacitor, could penetrate 2300mm worth of reinforced duranium armor, while having rapid rate of fire of nearly 20 rounds per minute with the aid of computerized fire control and automated reloading system.

Other weapons include a 20mm coaxial machinegun located next to the main gun, a DKSV-5 Mk2 heavy machinegun located at the commander's hatch, and the 40mm auto-grenade launcher meant to deploy smoke grenade, anti-personal grenades, and anti-missile intercept grenades. There are also number of rocket weapons that are deployable by the main-gun. Anti-air and anti-armor missiles could be fired through the 140mm-gun barrel.

Senor/Data

All of the weapon/sensor/fire-control systems are controlled by a central computer called AIC(v)2, which is in turn is regulated by the tank commander. The optic gunner's sight, the commander's mobile camera, and holographic display unit make up the core of the combat sensor systems. Others include air-intercept radar system, laser-radar rangefinder, atmospheric sensor unit, and laser/radar warning devices.

The combined data are collected and processed in the AIC computer and displayed in the Central Data Display System(CDDS). The CDDS then connects with the WARBLE Mk4 Data-Distribution Network System to collectively display the data acquired by various other units. This lead to one of the best combat awareness capability ever developed, and can easily be used to control large formation of combat units flawlessly even in the heat of combat.

One interesting piece of equipment to note is the ULW (Unmanned Light Walker) robot stored in the rear turret of the tank. These small robots are fast, small reconnaissance drones deployed by the commander to reach places where the massive tank cannot. They only weight 56kg, and when in storage mode, and compact their size to a rectangular figure of 50x30x18(Length, Width, Height respectively) centimeters. They move with 4 independent legs and are equipped with optic camera, data transmitter, and a twin 20mm grenade launcher. Their main mission is to search and locate the enemy before the actual engagement. The raw data from the ULW is processed in the AIC(v)2 and displayed in the mother vehicle.

Other Characteristics

The Lancer tank is manned by three-men; a driver, commander, and the gunner. An automatic reloading system loads the 140mm ammunitions. The commander sits at the center of the tank facing the CDDS, the driver sits right next to him with holographic goggles to aid piloting the massive beast, and the gunner is situated right behind the other two man in an elevated position below the main gun. The turret is surprisingly small and low, with the turret sloping downward heavily to the front. It has an additional armor effect to the already heavily armored turret. The frontal turret of the Lancer MBT is 2500mm worth of reinforced duranium plate, and 1800mm+ in all other aspects. The glacis is also severely armored, with 2200mm worth of protection standing between the tank crew and the outside environment. The maximum speed of the tank is 70km/h, with economic speed of 40km/h on the field. It carried 62 shells internally ready for use. Over 6000 units had been fielded and had replaced Arclites in front-line armor forces.

Lancer Mk II

The Lancer Mk II upgrades include Kolchuga Phase II modular armor compatibility, upgrades of AIC(v)2 computer to AIC(v)3 standard and addition of back up processing unit. Installation of an independent targeting computer for HALOS missile-intercept system is also included. The additional armor and systems add 4.2tons to the combat weight of the tank. Three hundred Mk IIs had been produced initially, and Mk II upgrades are underway on other base Lancer Mk I MBTs.

**** The Type4 Lancer MBT is inspired by several modern MBTs of the current world, including French Leclerc, Israeli Mekerva Mk4, Korean XK-2, German Leopard2A6 and Russian T-90. Many of the technologies mentioned above will be outfitted into the new-generation of tanks before this half of the centaury ends.


	2. Stronghold

Koprulu Sector, Zukos System, Alliance defense line Charlie

"3rd Squad! Fall back to the base of that hill right there and secure a base of fire! 3rd Squad will provide cover fire!"

Lt. Peterson ordered his 1st Squad leader to secure a small hill - no not even that, an elevation - about 100 meters to the rear. The attack was getting fiercer by the minute, and he knew he wouldn't hold for much longer. He intended to have one squad little higher so they can provide better covering fire for his platoon.

-_KWAAA!_

A Hydralisk fought through the hail of bullets and approached the defensive line. Instantly, it became target of 12 Gauss rifles. The creature must have gotten the evolved hide for better protection because it held out for a quite some time under fire until the concentration of bullets brought it down.

"200 Left and fire for effect!"

Right next to the lieutenant crouched an observation officer from the artillery force supporting the defense. Moments later, the sounds of ripping fabric made some of the men look up into the sky. All they saw were black objects falling in a blur, but as those dark blur came in contact with the grounds, each became huge balls of bright, orange flames that shook the grounds and decimated everything within their reach. Dozens of the creatures perished under the decimating explosions.

"Target! Right 700, forward 200, Type-U bio-target!"

Peterson went stiff at the word Type-U creature. That was the shortened code for the Zerg creature Ultralisk. It was possibly the most frightening Zerg creature a soldier can hope to face. Because of the way it tramples across the battlefield, crushing its enemies wherever it went, it had earned the nickname the Devil's Cavalry. Thankfully, the response from the artillery force had been immediate.

-Up! Check the quality of the delivered goods.

This time, the soldiers could see the shells much more accurately. It had come a slightly slower as compared to the last one, and moments later, they all knew why.

The artillery shells were slightly larger, and as they approached their targets, the shell casing fell apart and released dozens of bomblets each. All of them were anti-armor bomblets with a small heat/radar dual senor for a seeker. They all homed-in on the distinctive heat signatures of the large beasts and controlled their descent with grilled flaps. Many of the creatures were hit and was turned into bloody carcasses. But the explosions swept the left side of the Zerg horde, not at the center where most were concentrated. The observer picked his radio back up.

"Target adjustment! 20 right, 50 back and fire for effect!"

The next barrages were simple high-explosive rounds. The Time-On-Target strike of 8 large field guns decimated even the most fierce breed of the alien creatures. Each gun fired two shells in rapid succession, and 16 large explosives arrived to finish off the remaining Ultralisks. To the left of the platoon, a Goliath was attempting to fall back while engaging dozens of smaller Zerglings. As Peterson watched, the robot's large twin 30mm burst fire ripped through many of the weaker breed, but by sheer numerical advantage they soon began overwhelming the single mechanized robot. Despite the fire, the Zerglings only focused on the pressure control pipes located at the lower torso. After years of experiences, the Zergs seem to have found weaknesses of all Terran mechanical units. The engineers struggled to counterbalance their learning speed, but few things - like the pressure control which gave motion to the Goliath's two legs - could not be effectively adopted against the Zerg tactics. Soon, the attacks tore the little armored plate the engineers had placed to protect the vulnerability and revealed the cylindrical device under.

What saved the sole Goliath were appearances of two Vultures. The pair of speeders popped out of the trench line using their newly installed vertical thrusters. Heavy machineguns and 40mm grenade launchers opened up, striking the detachment of Zerglings from the left flank. After the initial attack they swerved left, rounding the group and killing some of the reinforcements in the process, before curving sharply back again and jumping in among the Zerglings. Pushing their engines to the max, they cut their way across diagonally, deploying their mines while on the move. The Spyder mines became active and attacked the Zergs, giving a pause in their relentless assault.

-_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The short, ear-piercing signal in the radio net brightened up the lieutenant's facial features considerably. The signal meant for him and his men to get out of the defense line in a hurry. Number of APC (Armored Personal Carrier) would be waiting for them in a relatively secure 'garage' as they would called the protected shelter for the vehicles.

"Alpha Platoon, we're through! Get to the extraction zone in a hurry, 3rd Squad would provide cover, then bring up the rear. Let's go Alpha!"

Behind them, a horde of Zerg warriors dashed across the flat terrain and toward the Terran defensive lines. Few mines and automated gun systems killed a few, but they were instantly overwhelmed as hundreds of the enemy swept across. The horde kicked up tons of dirt and sand into the air as they ran across, trampling everything in their path.

Tracking them, however, were a force of 6 batteries of heavy gun, 48 in all. When within planned destruction zone set up by the engineers, they released their fury toward the mass of creatures. Half were anti-personal bomblets that exploded on contact with anything solid. The other half were mines that sat passive on the ground until something disturbed it. The unfortunate few of the Terran Marines were caught in the artillery fire, but most made their getaway as the barrages from the heavy guns held the Zerg advances for the time being. But it wouldn't hold them off for forever. No stationary defense could. These man deployed to the defensive line saw that for themselves. Much of the vehicles heading in were only half full.

Zukos System, Alliance Command Center

"The Zergs have forced Charleston point to collapse completely. Charlie line is penetrated on 4 separate points, and we're recalling our man. Delta line is of 70% combat efficiency sir."

"Fuck."

Commander James Raynor sighed bitterly, then clenched his jaw. Charlie line had been one of the most strongest defensive points he had picked. Although not as many firepower supported the line, the terrain was strongly in favor of the defensive, and he had buried a thick minefield to slow Zerg advance, then squash them into pulp with artillery. It had worked, only not good enough. Waves after waves of Zergs hurled themselves against the defenses, eventually getting through the minefields despite the valiant efforts by the artillerymen to maintain the defenses. They then struck hard and remorselessly at the infantry-held positions themselves.

They might've held for a longer period of time if Charleston had held. However, an impossible number of Defilers had snuck through the sensory sweep and attacked Charleston just as the bulk of Zerg forces began their attack on it. Charleston fell in matter of hours, most of the soldiers who manned the station dying with it, along with their commanding officer.

"How long could the Delta line hold.......?"

Raynor muttered quietly as he mentally thought of the Delta line. The Delta line had not been finished just yet, and some of the infantry positions needed to be strengthened. He gave Delta-line perhaps 3 hours, at best at its current state. After Delta, nothing stood in the way between the Zergs and the command center, which was currently packed with civilians from nearby colonies.

"Regroup the forces returning from the Charlie and put them as reserve unit in front of the CC. Deploy the cavalry units to Delta as mobile support troops and have artillery deploy mines. We need 5 hours people. Just 5 hours. That's all I ask."

The last line of defense Raynor had picked also relied on natural barrier to act in favor of the defensive. The Hill 1093 stood to the left, while Hill 829 made up the right part of the defense. A smaller Hill 198 stood in between. The two large hills were part of the massive Ukral mountain ranges, so the Zerg could not force their way through in any significant numbers, not without losing several hours in the process anyway.

No, if they were to strike at the Terran defenses, they would have to move the bulk of their force through the narrow V-shaped valley between the three hills garrisoned by the humans. Naturally, their formation would have to be concentrated in order to overwhelm the infantry positions located just beyond the tip of Hill 198. Waiting to pounce on these enemy formations were 2 artillery brigades of 120 heavy guns. It was an ideal defense position, and would normally be almost impenetrable to an attack. The problem was, however, the attacking forces in this case could not be considered normal. 

The formation was detected easily enough. 17 UAV drones were aloft in the air, and 15 made contact almost simultaneously. The ground mapping radars of the UAVs, which had remained passive until now, activated and began transmitting the gathered data realtime toward the Mobile Central Artillery Control Command (MCACC).

Over 20 operators were present in the MCACC, each responsible for certain number of guns and artillery observation teams. As soon as the data came flooding in, the operators began commencing fire of the artilleries toward the Zergs. The ground shook as the massive Arclite cannons roared and the Terrans began their final effort to defend themselves against the maniacal assault of the Zergs.

Zukos System, Alliance defense line Delta, support artillery

-Romeo/Victor-23 fire for effect!

"Roger, Alpha battery, Romeo/Victor-23, fire for effect."

The artillery gunners quickly punched in the proper commands for the shells. To save time, they were ordered to keep to conventional high-explosive shells unless told otherwise. The 8 guns of the Alpha battery were all loaded with the 120mm shells, and the breeches were sealed. The battery then, aided by computers, set the range, direction and gun azimuth.

"FIRE!"

With the single command from the battery commander, the heavy guns began their rapid fire. Each guns fired 3 round each, making it 24 in all. They awaited tensely for a confirmation of their shot.

"Same coordinate TOT!"

The fire-traffic coordinator screeched from his console and the surprised artilleryman quickly loaded the guns again. All guns roared and fired off 120mm shell to the same point they had fired only moments ago. 24 shells should have been more than enough to completely level an area 100x100m. If such firepower of TOT was needed on the very same front..... they shuddered to think how many Zergs were approaching them.

"Post Alpha-7, come again! We're not reading you."

The FTC pressed the headset into his ears. At first there was confusion, then disbelief. The gunners wondered, and feared the next command from the FTC's lips. Moments later, their fears were confirmed.

"Alpha battery..... Alpha-7, Code Zulu Zulu Zulu."

The codeword Zulu Zulu Zulu was reserved for a case when a friendly position was being overrun, and had to be shelled directly to stop or slow the enemy attacks. The code was rarely used, and only in cases where the friendlies were in position to shield themselves from the shelling. However, when fighting the Zergs, the Terran troops preferred to be shelled by their own than to be at the mercy of the mindless killers. Post Alpha-7 was a small makeshift post with very limited defense capabilities. It was manned by 5 soldiers.

"Roger. Execute preplanned destruction procedure for Post Alpha-7."

The battery commander repeated in a disinterested tone of voice, and the gunners began setting up the guns. Fours guns were tasked, and each loaded high-explosive shells. The set up was for TOT, and the computer again measured the range and atmospheric conditions.

"Fire."

Each of the four guns spoke three times. The battery command frowned slightly, and took a deep drag of his cigarette, but stubbed them out when the FTC began calling out coordinates again, this time with Post Alpha-4 Bravo.

Zukos System, Alliance defense line Delta

"Mother of God!"

Master Sergeant Histos depressed the trigger, filling the small bunker with smokes. The rocket lanced out, and impacted the targeted creature. A Hunter, despite all its armor and speed, was turned into a carcass from his single volley. Working quickly, he ejected the spent propellant from the launcher and reloaded the rocket warhead. When the propellant, located just behind the actual rocket, locked into position, he pulled a small lever behind the targeting sight, linking the missile to the launcher.

He quickly counted the number of unused missiles next to him. He originally carried 2 spare missiles plus what was loaded into the launcher, and the second rocketeer had 3 extra. He had already long used up his own numbers, but the second rocketeer, who was supposed to provide him with the spares, was dead, killed when a horde of Guardians broke through the air defenses and struck their position. A resupply gave him five new missiles, but having used up 3 already, he now only had 1 loaded and 1 spare.

He looked back up at the line. The topographic location of the bunkers weren't so good because they were located just behind the summit of the hill. While it was meant to provide the artilleries more room to work with, it cut down on the firing range of the infantries, while giving the Zergs wider field of view. From the sounds of constant explosion and the shaking grounds, it was clear that the artilleries were pouring hell into their path of advance. Yet, enough number still emerged from behind the hill to give the infantries hard time in stopping their attacks.

_There! An Ultralisk!_

Leveling the rocket, he pushed down on the button controlling the laser rangefinder. A CO2 laser reached out to the creature, and bounced back to tell him what the range was. The computer locked on, and he depressed the trigger. The propellant casing instantly released burst of carbon gas, pushing the missile body out of the missile. The rocket then ignited, pushing the projectile instantly over the speed of sound.

The machinegun emplacement to the right opened up again, probably having received a new shooter after the gunner and the co-gunner were killed by the Zergling attack few minutes ago in conjunction with the Guardian attack. The heavy 7.6mm slugs cut across the firing field like a lawn mower. The Zergs had a tendency to concentrate their attack against the source of powerful firepower like moth to fire. But unlike the lousy insects, they often succeeded in smothering the fire out. Knowing this, Sergeant Histos set up to move into a different bunker. There was nobody else in the bunker he was currently in - its former occupants were in various stages of mutilation when he rolled into it - and he was feeling rather insecure about having nobody to back him up with a rifle.

He slung the launcher and strapped it to his back along with the spare missiles tube. Picking up the rifle, he checked to make sure that the magazines were fully loaded before crawling out of the shelter.

Outside was a total chaos. While much of the soldiers fought inside the bunker emplacements, the reserve company was constantly running around, adding their firepower to where the enemy's attack was most fierce. This most basic of defense tactic had worked so far, but with mounting casualties and running low on ammunitions, it was unsure whether the line could hold on for much longer. A tank gun roared on the far left, where sergeant Histos could barely make out the silhouette of the Arclite gun.

He crouched low and began running along the trenches. Many of the bunkers were systematically connected so that the soldiers could easily abandon their positions and ditch to a different spot. After moving along the trench for dozen meters or so, he dared a peek above. Another wave of attack composed primarily of Hydralisks was just initiating. The defenses responded with overwhelming firepower again, using everything they had on their arsenal to put as much dent as they can into the attacking echelon. While ammunitions were running low, everyone, even the logistic support who complained about the high ammo expenditure rate, knew enough to not hold back anything when dealing with the Zergs.

"Son of a....."

He watched in amazement as a massive bulk of Torresque came over the top. While looking extremely similar to the Ultralisks, these things had an unbelievable attack and defense strengths. He had seen it only several times on the field, and every time, he was horrified of its destructive powers. He stopped, and removed his rocket launcher from its holding.

-Take it out! Somebody take that son of a bitch out now!

A voice cried over the general frequency. Two machinegun emplacements responded immediately, assaulting the creature with a hail of gunfire. The Arclite gun fired over the top too, but its round fell slightly short. The Torresque was mere 100 meters away from entering its own attack range, and it would merely be a slaughter if it came to that.

Shouldering his weapon, he allowed the targeting computer to set, and selected laser beam-riding mode as guidance method. It would force him to keep the launcher pointed at the creature until the missile struck, but it would also assure high probability of a hit. Taking a deep breath, he imagined being a sniper, out on the field, with the rifle pressed against his cheek. He needed that kind of accuracy now......

-_Phisssuu~_

He depressed the trigger, causing a small puff of thin smoke to spill out of the tube. The concentrated gases propelled the missile forward. Because of the gas-launch method, there was very little shock from the launch, and he kept the red cross right on his target.

"Go, go you bastard...."

He whispered to himself, and watched the trail of smoke bore in. The creature was moving slightly to the left now and he just had to move...... _Right the hell on.... Bingo!_ The rocket struck squarely on the upper jaw of the fiend, instantly releasing a stream of hot plasma energy to pierce the relatively weak armor of the head of the Torresque and penetrating through. The HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead effectively penetrated to the creature's brain, and rendered it to a useless organic matter.

"Got the fucker!"

He cheered at his victory, and watched the giant crumble to the ground. It was an impressive sight, the creature must have weighted at least 20 metric tons and was a size of a tank. He was grinning like an idiot, and was completely oblivious to the fact that he was exposed here, out in the open ground while a major offensive was still unfolding. It took the sergeant a little time to realize that his line was the central axis of the attack surge. As he watched, the line of Zerglings split left and right, laying down pressure on both sides as a little over 200 Hydralisk shock force attacked the center. The center axis was weakened from the previous assault and lacked the firepower to repel such large scale attack. The Zergling attack, however prevented much of the covering fire from both sides of the line.

Sergeant Histos dropped the launcher - he didn't have time to secure them to his back like he was supposed to - and leveled the Gauss rifle. The first echelon was only 50 meters away from him, and he went rock'n-roll.

-Grenade, right!

Again, a voice ordered from the general frequency. A regular soldier carried set that was only able to receive, not transmit. That authority exclusively belonged to the senior NCOs and officers. When set to general frequency with VHF antenna, the burst communication reached anyone within the radius of 70m even under heavy interferences. The engineers for the Alliance force devised the system to reduce the level of confusion in the field after watching regular organization hierarchy of soldiers, NCOs, and officers melt down in front of the Zerg horde. Sgt. Histos instinctively looked to the right, and saw a pack of Hydralisks almost upon the first of the bunkers. At least half a dozen grenades drew an arc in the air, some hand-thrown, some tube-launched. The small packs of explosives and shards obliterated the creatures.

More explosions followed in the field, this time much bigger ones. The company mortar teams seemed to have their weapons set up. A single mortar shell opened up and dropped dozens of smaller bomblets, wrecking havoc with the concentrated formation. But there were simply too many for even a concentrated mortar fire to stop.

-You, in the open! Watch out!

He snapped out his watcher state and looked in the immediate vicinity again. Another pack was making their attack..... on him?

"Aww fuck!"

The rifled opened fire on the Hydralisk closest - only 20m away. The Hydralisks were apparently only interested in breaking trough, since they did not stop to attack any of the bunker positions. Perhaps that was lucky for him, because at 20 meters, a Hydralisk rarely missed. SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) quickly engaged the pack in front of him, but the rounds were not powerful enough. Heavy machineguns were busy fighting off an attack against their own emplacements. Several fell under the rifle and SAW fire, but using their body as shields, the rest continued on. Histos aimed up at the one closest creature and depressed the trigger.

-_Click, click click._

He looked down at the strange noise. He still had rounds in the magazine, but the chamber didn't feed them properly. The gun was jammed. Without the interference of the rifle, the monsters entered close-combat zone, one which a human can never hope to win against a Zerg. Looking back up, he violently threw the heavy rifle against the Hydralisk. The beast was unaffected, and drew closer.

"Motherfucking piece of shit!"

He drew his K-Bar. There was no fucking way he was going down without a weapon in his hands. There was absolutely no chance that he was ever going to be able to use it against simply monstrosity as this however. The beast opened its jaws wide to form a distorted Zerg equivalent of a smile. The sharp, fanged mouth dripped with thick saliva. At that moment, he felt death ever so closer in his heart and body, and the time, seemingly on its own accord, slowed.

His death moved toward him, its dripping jaw ready to sink its many fangs into his flesh and rip it into pieces. Its eyes, its pair of soulless black eyes, gleamed.

Only to disappeared a moment later.

The beast's head faded, replaced with a moist mist of crimson and empty space. The headless carcass simply hung there for a second or two, but without its brain - no matter how basic its functions - the body was able to withstand the pull of gravity no longer. The sergeant watched with outlandish curiosity as the rest of the creatures simply exploded into blood and flesh. His stupor broke as a hand came down on his shoulder, and shook him jerkily.

"ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR _FUCKING_ MIND SERGEANT?"

He shook his head to clear his brain and looked at the other man. -PETERSON the nametag read. The rank showed him to be a second lieutenant. Still unable to speak, he only looked at the officer blankly as he turned away and began pushing the _Grenediers _forward.

"Move it! Clear the motherfuckers, here comes the cavalry!"

An APC rolled past the mechanized infantry, spewing out heavy machinegun fire as it went. More followed the leading vehicle, they too saturating the enemy line with heavy slugs. Bullet-riddled corpses of Zergs fell everywhere. Those lucky enough to receive a fatal shot died quickly, those that did not, however, were sucked under the tracked wheels of the armored vehicles.

"First squad left! Second squad center. Third squad, follow me!"

Lt. Peterson and his men charged up the hill following the armored carriers. Many vehicles had stopped at the summit, deploying more infantry and shooting up the reserve and secondary units that had followed the Hydralisks on the attack. The infantry took up positions around the carriers and amassed their firepower on the unprepared Zerg units. Mortar fire too, shifted to the forward of the Hill-198, apparently receiving firing coordinates from the FDC of the counterstrike force.

-Hey what? Energy field on the left line!

-This is Major Simmons, hold your fire! Protoss recall is underway.

The first voice was that of the field commander on the scene. The second one identified himself as the executive officer of the defense regiment. Everyone in the line watched in awe as the energy fluctuation stabilized and began to form a definite shape. It was a Dragoon. Fielding its 4 mechanical legs the Protoss battle machine fired it energy cannons at the remaining Zergs. More Protoss robots and warriors appeared, and engaged the Zerg.

-'Bout some time they showed up! Okay everyone, we've got orders to evacuate the line. Grab what or who you can and proceed to the secondary positions. The Protoss will cover our backs.

It was Major Simmons again, ordering everyone out. The defenders were perplexed because not even the Protoss reinforcement assured a certain victory, and leaving the line in middle of a battle didn't make sense. The quizzical expressions, however, changed to that of delight when they saw what they were heading for.

Dropships and Protoss shuttles, numbering hundreds, were descending from the outer atmosphere. Finally, extraction out of this godforsaken planet was underway. Everyone thought it was one of the most beautiful sight a human could ever hope to observe.

****

Mobile Infantry:

Introduction

The Mobile Infantry is the most powerful infantry unit the Earth can field. These soldiers are dressed in boosted mobile exoskeleton suits. These suits, forged by utilizing the most advanced micro and nano technology the Earth had at its disposal, increases an infantry's mobility, firepower, and endurance significantly on the battlefield.

The Mobile Infantry had been conceived a long time ago, even before the Koprulu colonization. However, the needed technology had only become available in the recent years. The conceptual idea of the Mobile Infantry is to deploy individual combat units that are small, yet mobile and has enough firepower to hold its own against any field opponents. It would mean that a relatively small number of infantry could do a same job of tanks or other big units in many areas with significantly less preparation and support.

The suit of the Mobile Infantry resembles the pressurized combat suit of the base infantry. However, the internal structures that make each suit are completely different. The P-5 pressure suits are meant to give the soldiers some protection against attacks while segregating them from the harsh environments of the outside world. It reduces various harmful radiations and keeps chemical or biological substances from harming the bodies. The mechanical support devices aid the soldier's movement slightly, but not significantly so.

The Mobile Infantry Suit, MSS-3X model, is completely new technology. The pressure and protection unit gives much fuller protection as compared to the P-5. It also offers increased armor capability and shock-absorbent effect to protect the pilot. It has computerized command, with computer aided shooting system, automatic alert system, and miniature data sharing network WARBLE Mk2. The movements of soldier are also fully aided by computers and with this help from the mechanical units, can move as fast as 58km/h at maximum.

Weapon

The primary weapon of the Mobile Infantry is MU-7020 assault rifle. The rifle utilizes 20mm ammunition that is able to punch through light armor or walls with ease. With rate-of-fire at 2400rpm, it is meant to saturate the enemy with massive firepower. This rifle is attached with a computer unit that connects with the central computer and aids the shooter to aim precisely at his or her target. With the rifle and the weight of the ammunitions, the MU-7020 weighs 438.7kg. But with the sensitive motor unit attached to the arm, the Mobile Infantryman can wield the weapon without feeling any strains.

An average Mobile Infantry is also equipped with two mini-missile launchers. Attached in the left forearm section, the launcher is loaded either with anti-tank missiles or anti-air missiles depending on the situation. The computer does the targeting, so the shooter only has to hold aim for 2 seconds for the computer to lock-on. After the launch, the missile will self-guide itself toward the target. A spare missile clip can be attached to the back of the suit, and can be loaded into the launcher manually on the field.

Depending on the situation, the Mobile Infantry can also carry variety of different arms including rocket launcher, 6x barreled MU-66 Gatling gun, and auto grenade launcher. These weapons can also receive limited computer aided fire by switching of the weapon control mode by the pilot.

Sensor/Data

The Mobile Infantry has their visual enhanced by receiving integrated optic systems. But the suit offers many other detection means as well. The suit's optic unit (MESMA) has thermal and IR mode, as well as low-light optic mode. A small camera attached near the MESMA system records all of what the pilot is watching through any mode.

The suit is also equipped with laser and radar warning devices and atmospheric condition unit. It allows the pilot to know if anyone is tracking them from standoff range and allows them to respond appropriately by activating smoke or radar jammer.

The data is collected by the central computer and distributed by WARBLE Mk2 data distribution network. The WARBLE Mk2 is smaller system optimized for Company or Battalion data sharing capability. It is significantly smaller than the WARBLE Mk4 carried by bigger vehicles or aircrafts.

****US Army's Land Warrior program is the model for the mobile infantry. 


End file.
